UCSB Signs Pair of Standout Guards

The UC Santa Barbara men's basketball program has signed a pair of standout guards to National Letters of Intent, head coach Bob Williams announced Thursday.

Marcus Shaver, a dynamic point guard who will play his senior season at Phoenix's Shadow Mountain High School, and Brandon Davis a talented combination guard out of Alemany High School in Mission Hills, Calif., will join the Gauchos for the 2017-18 season.

"We are very excited about both of these outstanding guards," Williams said. "Marcus is extremely quick and creative. He can knock-down jump shots or take it to the rim. Brandon is a physical player who can play either backcourt position and he has a good feel for the game."

The 6-foot-1, 165-pound Shaver played two outstanding seasons at St. Mary's High School in Phoenix. As a sophomore he averaged 23.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. In his freshman season, Shaver scored 23.2 points per game while collecting 47 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.8 steals per game. In his two seasons at St. Mary's he made 116 3-point baskets and shot 81% from the free throw line. He was named All-Division II – Section II following each season.

As a junior, Shaver spent time at three prep schools, finishing up at Trinity International in Las Vegas. He returned to Phoenix for his senior season and will play for Mike Bibby, a former NBA All-Star with Sacramento Kings. Shadow Mountain has been picked by Max Preps as the No. 2 team in Arizona entering the 2016-17 season.

At the AAU level, Shaver and Davis both played for Earl Watson Elite, a program that current UCSB point-guard Eric Childress also played for.

As a junior at Alemany High School, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Davis averaged 11.4 points, 3.5 assists and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per game. He made 21 3-point baskets and, after helping the team to a 24-9 record and a spot in the second round of the CIF State Tournament, was named All-Mission League. As a sophomore, Davis averaged 6.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

Childress is UCSB's lone senior and the duo of Shaver and Davis is expected to go a long way in replacing him at the point guard position.

"We feel that these two guards will really solidify us after Eric is gone," Williams said. "Together with some of the guys already in the program, I think we've put ourselves in a position to have a really good backcourt for the next several years."

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